


No More Lonely Nights

by SavyxLee



Category: American (US) Actor RPF, Narcos (TV), Pedro Pascal - Fandom
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Adult Content, F/M, Gen, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Neighbors, Other, Romance, Slow Burn, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:47:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28636500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavyxLee/pseuds/SavyxLee
Summary: A former DEA agent moves into the apartment next to yours, and first impressions aren't exactly promising.  You know that new neighbors means no more privacy, and goodbye to quiet nights.That is until you realize, there's more to him than meets the eye.  Two lonely people connecting.  One with an eventful past, and you the calm present.  Perhaps together, there won't be any future lonely nights.
Relationships: Javier Peña & Reader, Javier Peña & You, Javier Peña/Original Female Character(s), Javier Peña/Reader, Javier Peña/You
Comments: 29
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey readers. I hope you enjoy this possible start to a continuing story. I've had it rolling around in my head ever since finishing Narcos last year. I just love Javier Peña, and I've had this spunky character idea, that I've wanted to match up with him for quite some time now. I figured I'd take the plunge and attempt to write it out. There's some slight cursing, and mentions of sex. If you like it, and want more of this story, please like/comment etc. I'd love feedback as to whether I should continue or not. Thank you!
> 
> SideNote: I have edited this chapter, as I felt it didn't flow as well as I wanted it to. It's a bit longer now, more fleshed out, but hopefully a slight improvement. I will be attempting to continue this story. Stay tuned!

Today of all days, was a scorcher. Everything was sticky, and miserable, including your demeanor. Irritated, so very irritated. The slightest upset could trigger you at any moment, and to top it off, someone new was moving into the apartment building. What’s worse, they were moving in to the apartment adjacent from yours. For five months, no one had been living next to you to bother you. Five heavenly, peaceful months of never having to hear “Will you keep it DOWN”, or having to shout that same speech to them.

You had no idea who this new-comer was, or why they decided to move here, only that they would soon be damaging your calm. A not so small part of you had hoped that this person would back out. Perhaps they’d have a change of heart at the last minute, and decide that this place wasn’t the right fit. You could only hope, as you truly wished to spend this weekend lounging around, in the blissful quiet. 

Today was no different, save for the dulcet sounds of the air conditioner blasting, and fans buzzing around the apartment to keep the cool air flowing. At this point, the couch was too warm to sit on, so you stood by the window, taking in the full effect of the ice box. A loud screech came from the parking lot, and you caught a glimpse of a large vehicle entering the lot from your living room window. _Damn_. 

Any hopes of soaking in the peace for a few minutes longer, vanished. The U-Haul truck pulled up, close to the building, and the movers exited the vehicle, heading to the back, preparing to unload. A separate vehicle followed suit. It was a muddy green jeep that parked in a spot next to the truck. The driver’s side door swung open, and out stepped a man of average height, clad in a button down t-shirt, aviators, and a bad attitude.

“Great, he looks like a real douche,” you exclaimed to no one but yourself. Sipping on a cup of ice water, you rolled your eyes and moved away from the window. You’d seen enough.

Pretty soon this man would be living in the apartment next door, and there was nothing you could do about it. Any inclination of another sleep filled night, out the window. No more enjoying lazy days, or basking in the quiet of the sun entering your bedroom each day. You’d especially miss the calm rainy days, the only noise being the soft plops of droplets hitting the glass. This was what really bothered you. 

There was a door in your bedroom that connected both of the apartments. To further emphasize the lack of privacy, if said door was opened, you were able to walk into each other’s bedrooms. For months you didn’t have to think about privacy issues. You didn’t have to listen to the sounds of someone waking up each day, stomping around their bedroom, or worse, having restless nights. There were no awful sounds of alarm clocks being set to snooze. No loud continuous “EEEE EEE EEEE”, that you could not control, no matter how hard you wished you magically gained telekinetic abilities overnight. These are the thoughts that should have upset you, when you first agreed to rent. 

The idea of having no real privacy. Thin walls left little to the imagination, and yours was an active one. Unfortunately, you had been desperate, and the apartment was enormous for the price, which had clearly been marked down because of the door. When the neighbors had moved out, you were given the option to rent both apartments out by adding a roommate to the deal. Someone you knew, and could trust to live with, but you didn’t know anyone here, and you were too nervous to try.

Now you wished that you had. At this point, anyone was better than how this person appeared. For a while you thought you were in the clear. Anyone who came to look at the place, would immediately decide “No”, when they saw the door. “The price was good,” they’d say, “but not that good”. Then this guy showed up.

You hadn’t met him when he came to scope out his new digs. The landlord had told you someone was coming, and that you might have a new neighbor. It didn’t matter. He had said that about all of the others, and it never came to fruition. So, when the landlord informed you that his new prospect did, in fact, seal the deal, you were taken aback. You had grown so used to your newfound privacy, the knowledge that it could be taken away so easily. Livid. You were absolutely livid.

However, stubbornness won out, and you knew you had to give this person a try. You would not give up so easily, and assuming the worst, was not the right way to go. Inhaling, then exhaling a sigh, you centered your thoughts. Yes, to assume would make an ass out of you and me, and you did not want to be an ass, even if your new neighbor ended up being one.

Abandoning worries, you went back to focusing on the heat, and how to get relief from it. For now, it was one problem at a time, and you were at least able to ignore this neighbor, entering into your atmosphere, for a little while longer.

You went about the rest of your day, thankful that it was the weekend, which helped you to relax a bit more. There was nothing else to fret over, besides the usual weekend routine. The grunting and complaining noises of frustration outside of your apartment, would not get to you. Moving always meant wild egos to work with. Too many egos brought endless miscommunication of what was being transported, and difficulty in having to transport said items. You did not miss any of that, which was another reason why you simply refused to move again.

The rest of the day proved easy enough to tune them out. The noises moved from the hallway, to the neighbor’s apartment, which you avoided by staying away from your room for the time being. You only went in there once, to double check that your side of the door was locked and bolted. 

That was the worst part about having the apartment dividing door in your own room. The what ifs. What if you accidentally left the door unlocked, and they got in? Of course, the chances of that happening were slim to none. But what if? On the other foot, there was no way you’d purposefully unlock your side, unless you needed to reach your neighbor quickly, for whatever reason. Even so, the what ifs were there, and now you desperately needed something else to think about.

It was around the time that you sat down for dinner, boisterous voices came bursting forth into the hallway. A buzzing, loud discussion, where you could faintly hear “hey thanks guys for your help today”, followed by mumbles of “no problem”, and what sounded like a “anything for you man”. They continued to talk, and you wondered if others could hear in their apartments across the hall.

When they were all done exchanging their “good jobs”, and “I hope it goes well for you”, there seemed to be mention of drinks, and heading to a local bar joint the moving crew wanted to introduce your new neighbor to. You could hear him reluctantly declining, mentioning something about wanting to settle in for the night. A small part of you hoped he would go, so you could be lazy in your room in peace. Another part of you, was glad that he chose not to. What if he came back drunk? What if he was an awful, loud, angry drunk? You shivered at the thought.

You could hear the crew saying their goodbyes, clunking their way down the hallway stairs, and as they left, you realized it was official. This man was all moved in, and you would have to adapt to that. Under your breath, you prayed that it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought. That he wouldn’t be obnoxious, that you wouldn’t have to complain to the landlord. _I’ve been through worse_ , you kept thinking to yourself, _this isn’t a problem. Nothing bad has happened, I’ve been through worse._

The rest of the night proved to keep your mind at ease. You heard no jarring noises, and for the most part, your new neighbor was relatively quiet. You even wondered if he had simply settled down for a long nap after a hard day of moving. In any case, you proceeded to get ready for bed, in the hopes of getting a good night’s rest.

Lying there, in the comfort of sheets, grateful that the night brought a cooler climate, you thought more clearly on your reactions today. Normally you wouldn’t have obsessed over the idea, except that your anger had been building for weeks. The job that you had initially moved out here for, was beginning to wane on you. The typical irritable bosses, and your standard nosy coworkers. 

You loved the actual job itself, the pay was decent, not to mention the vacation time. However, none of it made up for the mental abuse you had been receiving. Eventually, you’d need to find better insurance to pay for all of the therapy after… _wait what is that?_ Sounds echoed in your neighbors apartment. The slam of the front door. _Maybe he decided to go out for drinks after all,_ you pondered, but the footsteps that proceeded, didn’t come from the hallway indicating his departure.

The urgent stomps of feet, remained in your neighbor’s apartment. They were moving fast, and headed towards the bedroom. _Damn_ , you thought, _he must be getting ready for bed now._ Amidst your annoyance, you realized that another set of steps followed. “Geesh, how many feet does this guy have?” You chuckled quietly. Then it dawned on you.

“Shit… shit no,” you breathed out, as you heard a soft thud. Bodies hitting a firm bed. Two bodies. Bodies with a feverish intent to disrobe. Bodies about to do the horizontal tango, and you… you in the room next door, with thin walls, and a pissed off conscience.

 _This isn’t happening, this is absolutely not happening_. Your brain entered into crisis mode, when soft moans began to reverberate through the walls. Sounds of sloppy, wet kisses, and… sucking. _No… No, no, no, no, NO._ You couldn’t handle this tonight.

The sounds of pleasure grew painfully, exponentially, and no pillow in the world could block it from your ears. You had to get away from your room FAST. Quickly removing yourself from out of the bed, you relocated to the couch. 

However upset you may be now, it wasn’t enough to try to stop them while they were in the thick of it. Besides the increasing volume of moans, only one other thought went through your head. This was not going to become a habit, and you knew you’d have to confront him immediately. If he had a lover, then they needed to plan accordingly, so you could still keep what little sanity you had left.

An hour passed by, when you cautiously reentered your room. The loud vocalizations had dissipated to pillow talk. From your bed, you could hear a gentle raspy voice, one you believed to be your neighbor’s, mildly distorted after a rough session. You had to work up the courage to leave your room, past the kitchen, past the living room, and out of your front door. This was a mission you needed to see all the way through.

All of the events of the past few weeks, were carried in each impact of your feet against the hallway floor. You were done. If you didn’t say anything now, you would talk yourself out of it by tomorrow. Then, nothing would get done. There would be no confrontation, no resolution. No way for you to get a good night’s sleep in your own apartment. While your couch was comfortable to sit on for a time, it was not ideal for an entire night. Especially if these would be frequent occurrences.

Before you knew it, you were at his door. Fists pounding against the grain, not caring if the other neighbors could hear you. You. Were. Done. Panicked thuds proceeded from behind the door.

“Who the fuck is that?” You could hear him cursing as he neared the door. A moment passed, as he eyed you from the peep hole, attempting to see if you were a harmless individual. The sound of locks being unlatched, and a gust of air as the door swung open, revealing a sweaty topless man, clad only in jeans.

The initial shock of his compromised sight washed over you. His hair a dark disheveled mop of curls, his face set with soft cheekbones, and a solid jawline that made you wonder, thoughts that you didn’t need to mull over in this moment. Beautiful brown eyes, and a lean torso completely exposed, glistening in the dim light of the hall. 

You did not expect this. You did not expect to feel the slightest bit of attraction for this man. It wasn’t until he opened his mouth to speak, that you remembered exactly why you were at his door in the first place. The anger flooding back to you in waves.

“Is there a problem Miss?” His voice was dark, and sultry as he eyed your form before him. The up and down motion of his eyes, causing a flutter in you. Somewhere deep down, low in your stomach.

You clenched your jaw. “Yes actually, there is. I live right next to you, and I don’t know if you know this but… the walls are paper thin.”

His face dropped with visible realization. “Ah… I see.”

“I’m sure you can gather from my tone, that I’m not super thrilled to have to hear that while I’m trying to sleep.”

His body tensed, understanding now that you, a perfect stranger, had heard the lewdness of his night transpire. “Look, I’m sorry,” he tried to reason. “I didn’t know that you could hear everything. That wouldn’t have happened otherwise.” 

“Well it did, and I’d really appreciate it if that didn’t happen again. If you’re going to bring someone home, please schedule when I’m not around, trying to sleep.” The bitter taste of your words cutting through his euphoria.

“Hey I just moved in today. I think you can forgive me for this one thing. I didn’t know ok. It wasn’t intentional, and it won’t happen again.” Changing his stance to a more defensive position, “Wait, hold on… are you really suggesting we make a schedule here as to when I can have sex in my own apartment?” He leaned forward in the door way, disbelief washing over his face. His movement allowed you to catch a whiff of his own musky scent. The smell of sex now hanging in the air between you.

You had to get out of there fast. Everything about today caused too many emotions, and this scent was only causing more confusion. “Look, Sir,” you spat out, then mentally slapped yourself for upping the dosage of venom on your lips. “This is not how I had planned on introducing myself, but here we are. I advise that this doesn’t become a habit, as I really value my sleep, and I’d hope that you value your privacy.” Instinctively you had moved forward in your retaliation. Apparently you too wanted to test just how irrational you could be today.

However, your shift caused him to rethink how far he was willing to push your buttons, and he backed down. “Okay,” he sighed, running his fingers through the side of his dark locks, as he leaned back into the door frame. “How about we talk this over tomorrow, when we’re both more mentally prepared for this. Does that sound good?”

You studied his expression for a moment. Noting how much the signs of afterglow had worn off during the dispute. He was clearly tired, and wanted nothing more than to get back to the aftercare that was taking place, when you had interrupted. Your main goal was accomplished, you had confronted the situation immediately, and now the ball was in his court to make good on his word.

Inhaling a deep sigh, the exhaustion of the day now hit you in full force. “Sounds good,” you replied, more curtly than desired, then turned to leave him standing in the door.

“Nice meeting you,” you heard him call out behind you as you walked away. Followed by snarls of curse words as he shut the door behind him. It was not how you had hoped to meet, but it had to be done. Hopefully, after you would discuss terms tomorrow, neither of you would have to interact with the other, ever again. Either way, you could finally rest, and leave this day in the past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter, I hope you enjoy where this story is going. It's definitely not as long as the first, also if you read the first before I edited, please if you can, read it again as I have added a few things. I tried making it flow smoother.  
> I definitely want it to be a slow burn. As much as I'd love to write them going at it right out the gate, I thoroughly enjoy the slow build up to it. It just feels more satisfying to write when it actually does transpire. I'm also not sure if I want to keep the character as just reader, or if I should give them a name? Please leave a comment to let me know if I should continue. Thank you for reading!

The morning light, a new day, shone through your giant bedroom window, as you lay in bed recounting the events of the nights before. After you had had a small argument with your new neighbor, you had gone back to your apartment, and overheard him explaining why you were upset, to his lover. She proceeded to laugh it off, and mumble something about “maybe she liked it, and that’s why she’s mad”, which served to infuriate you more.

He attempted to hush her, and tell her that it was probably best for her to leave now. It wasn’t until she was ready to leave the bedroom that you could faintly hear her ask for the money. The money. Money for sex. She was a hooker. You no longer felt the tiny twinge of guilt for being upset that partners would have the audacity to have sex in their own place. She wasn’t a real lover, only a hired one. 

While you didn’t frown on the profession itself, you knew now that you could hold it against him. She wasn’t a girlfriend, and you weren’t putting a strain on the relationship. If anything, you’d be helping his wallet by limiting where he could do the deed.

Once she had left, and everything seemed to settle, you closed your eyes to try to fall asleep. You even considered buying a set of noise canceling headphones just in case anything like this happened again.

As you began to drift off, your neighbor’s voice boomed from behind the wall, “There, you happy now?” He sounded so close, as if he was there, next to you. You shivered.

“Well, I was. Until you opened your mouth,” you smiled in your retort. Too tired to be frustrated, this ordeal became more humorous to you by the minute.

You could hear him chuckling, a raspy, yet soft rumble escaping his lips. He apparently found it funny too. “I’m Javi, by the way.”

“Oh, I know.”

“How? I never told you my name earlier.”

“You didn’t have to,” you shouted back. “She did it for you.”

“Wait when did you talk to… Oh… Ooooh,” he gasped in realization as to what you were implying.

“Yeah it sounded something along those lines,” you giggled in reply, which made him laugh boisterously. The awkwardness of the night vanished in an instant. How it had come to this, you still couldn’t fathom.

“True, she wasn’t very subtle with my name, was she?”

“Not in the least, it was very educational though.”

“Oh, how so?”

“Well… Javi… is that short for something? Or is your name really Javi? Sorry if that’s being insensitive, I was just curious,” your face was closer to the wall now so you didn’t feel like you had to shout in order to be fully heard.

“It is actually. Short for Javier.” He too sounded closer to the wall.

“Hmm… Javier.” You let the name roll off of your tongue, enjoying how it felt saying it. You hadn’t met too many Javiers in your time, if any.

“Well Javier, I learned that whatever it is you do, you seemed to be doing well. She definitely didn’t want you to… stop, whatever it was, which of course, I know not of,” you feigned innocence.

“Really? Because you seem to have been listening intently, and you would be correct. I do do it well,” there was a slight shift in tone with the way he spoke the last few words that made the flutter in your stomach appear again. _Perhaps this conversation needs a course correction_ , you mused, a small part of you reluctant to do so.

You cleared your throat. “It was difficult not to hear, which is why I came knocking on your door, remember? Any way, we can discuss the rest tomorrow. I am actually tired and would like to sleep.”

There was a long pause on his side, and you wondered if he had already drifted off. A low creak came from his bed, followed by various shifting noises, and rustling of sheets. He had moved away from the wall.

“Okay, good night miss… Miss?” He was fishing for a name.

“My name is <reader>,” you replied softly.

“Hmm <reader> I like that. Good night <reader>.” The way he said your name, brought up thoughts that made it difficult for sleep to come instantly. It took a while for you to calm your mind. Besides, you had just heard this man with another woman, not long before. This was a man who knew what he was doing, and you couldn’t afford to fall into that. You were not easy, and you were not a prize. You were the goal.

Now it was a new day, with fresh possibilities, and you felt hopeful. Hopeful that there was a chance to rectify things, and that maybe, just maybe, there was room for civility.

Getting ready for the day, you were pleased to see that even the weather's mood had shifted. The sticky hot air of yesterday, felt breezy and inviting today. This aided in keeping your calm, as you sat down with a bowl of cheerios, and turned on your small tv box sitting on the kitchen counter, in front of your 2 seater kitchen table.

You lived humbly, not wanting for much, and saving for the future. However, or whenever that decided to show up. For now, you were content with what you had, and you knew that sticking it out in your job, no matter how miserable, would eventually get you to where you really wanted to be. It was the "American Dream" right? It had to go somewhere.

Flicking through the 20 some odd channels you could manage to pick up with the tinfoils on your antennas, the only thing interesting on was "The Price is Right". _I guess that'll do for now_ , you sighed to yourself. It wasn't completely unenjoyable, you had fun trying to guess the item's prices correctly, and wondered if you'd ever be able to go on a show like this.

There was a solid knock at the door, throwing you out of your musings. You weren't sure if you heard it correctly, or if it was imagined, so you waited a beat.

*Knock Knock Knock*

Hearing it the second time made you jump out of your seat and head for the front door. No one ever came to your door. No one but the landlord, or solicitors.

As you approached the door, a voice called out. "Hey <reader>, it's me, Javi. I wanted to see if you were ok to talk now... You know, about last night?"

You opened the door quickly, glaring at him. "Don't say it like THAT, and so loud! The neighbors will think something happened between us!"

He smirked in response. "Well I mean, something DID happen, but not with you."

Your glare grew in strength, and you ushered him inside as quickly as possible. "So far, not off to a good start there Javi."

"That's kind of my forte," he spoke through chewing on a piece of gum, as he looked around your place. "Good to see that our apartments are exactly the same set up. I guess the landlord wasn't lying when he said he didn't have favorites."

"Are you implying that you think I was a favorite?"

"Well with the way you came over hollering about noise issues, I figured you were, or at least that you thought you were."

"Really, this is how you want it to go?" You crossed your arms, and stood one leg propped out, foot tapping the ground in annoyance.

He smiled back slightly, then perked his ears up, hearing the sound of the tv. "Did I interrupt a show?"

"Oh, that? Nah, I was just eating some cereal and zoning out.... OH MY CEREAL!" You exclaimed before running back to the kitchen to eat the last bits of cheerios, hoping you made it in time before it devolved into a soggy mess.

Javier was left in the dust, standing in shock, and wondering just what it was that he had gotten himself into.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I didn't make it known before, but this timeline is after the end of Narcos season 3. It takes place some time after the Cali Cartel are taken down, so a bit after the events in 1996.  
> I'm having fun recalling my childhood during those years, and there weren't many tv channels, the internet had just recently been released to the general public, even then very few people could afford it. I wanted to write a story after the events of the show, when Javier is trying to settle down in his life. Obviously it's not easy for him right away, but he's trying. Hopefully this gives a bit more context. I had this chapter up earlier, but decided I needed to add to it, so here's the update!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you!

After you had managed to salvage what little cereal you could from the sitting milk wreckage, the two of you sat awkwardly for a time, unsure as to where to start. It had been so long since you had had someone actually sit in your apartment. Combined with Javi’s leg rapidly bouncing up and down under the table with apparent jitters, you were both out of your element. _Coffee_ , you surmised, _I should ask if he wants coffee. Guests usually want coffee._

“Would you like some…” “Do you have any…”, you both began speaking at the same time. Turning to each other you laughed, there was no reason to be so formal, especially after everything that had transpired.

“Coffee? Would you like some coffee? Is that what you wanted?” You asked politely, and he nodded back in response.

“Yes, please, and thank you.”

“Ah, I see you’re a man well versed in the magic words.” You proclaimed, while you measured coffee, set up the pot, and poured water in the machine to brew. He looked back at you, puzzled by your comment. “What you’ve never heard that? It’s from…” you had to stop yourself here. Did you really want to explain to him, that the magic words “Please and thank you” were called as such in a Barney the purple dinosaur song that started a few years back?

He waited for your response before asking, “From? Where exactly?”

 _Ah fuck it,_ you decided, _what do I have to lose?_ The coffee machine sputtered out water, almost sounding as if it agreed with your train of thought.

“It’s from a Barney song,” the words fell out of your mouth, and you recoiled sheepishly. The look that formed on his face, following your revelation, was that of a man who did not know what to do with the information. Your response completely blindsiding him.

"Come again?" He blinked, quick bursts of confusion.

"Do I really have to repeat it?"

"Oh, I really think you do," he leaned in closer, as if to prepare himself, making sure he heard correctly.

"Fine." You raised your face up high, proud, and resolute. "The magic words 'please and thank you' are stated as such, in a Barney song, and by Barney I mean the purple dinosaur. Not Barney Rubble, Fred Flintstone's best friend, mind you."

"Naturally, of course. It would be absurd if it was him."

"Exactly," you placated, then realized he was messing with you now. "Wait, are you making fun of me?"

He held his hands up, feigning innocence. "Of course not <reader>. I wouldn't dream of it," he slyly smiled, and continued to chew on gum.

"Mmhmm, get your jollys out now, you're only here, in my apartment, to talk about more serious matters. Privacy matters, remember?" You held the finished brew out at him, almost threateningly, and his eyes grew wide with anxiety, to which you ignored.

Grabbing a cup, and coffee fixings for your guest, you noticed his leg was still jerking up and down. When you set everything down, and poured him a cup, you decided to inquire.

“Are you feeling anxious?” His eyes darted up to yours, unsure as to what you were asking of him. “Sorry if that was rude, it’s just… your leg,” you motioned to the movement.

“Oh that? I’m trying to quit smoking. The gum doesn’t seem to be doing the trick,” he spoke as he continued to chew. Then, realizing there was no need for it, he got up, walked over to the trash can, and spit it out. "That would have tasted awful with the coffee."

"This is probably true."

He sat back down, and you were both still again. It was time to rip off the band-aid. Time to discuss what they could do to make living situations more bearable for everyone involved. You went first.

"So, sex." You immediately regretted going first.

"Pardon?"

"That came out wrong. Let me try again."

"Please do, I don't think it could be much worse than that."

"You have very loud sex."

"Oh, I was wrong."

"Let me finish. You have very loud sex, that I do not want to hear while I'm trying to sleep."

"You know you really should be a poet. You have such a way with words," Javi sipped on his coffee, then continued to speak. "Now, don’t take this the wrong way, I mean this as well as I can. I've met a lot of people, and I mean a LOT of people. You are quickly becoming one of the oddest ones I've known so far."

"So far," you countered matter-of-factly. “You haven’t met EVERYONE, so… there could be more like me.”

He nodded in return, "so far." He took a beat to ponder the situation, thinking over the original discussion. Then opening his mouth for a deep inhale, he exhaled his terms. "Okay, to be fair, I don't constantly bring people to my place for the night. There have been a lot of changes in my life recently, and I just...", he turned away from you to stare out the kitchen window. _Reminiscing,_ you thought, and it made you wonder about what.

When you really looked at his lean physique, and uniquely chiseled face, you had to remind yourself that this man was still a complete stranger to you. Your eyes lingered, a bit too long, on the dark mustache, outlining lips that made you wonder things. However, you neglected focusing on them. This was not the time, nor the place to let your mind wander. Snapping back to the present, you attempted to fill the void of silence, sparing him from whatever dark memories inhabited his mind.

"I get it, you needed to blow off some steam."

"Yeah, something like that." He quietly professed, then faced you again, a light smile showcasing soft cheeks, and kind, tired eyes.

You picked up your coffee, looking up at him through the warmth of it. Eyes shining mischievously as you spoke. "This is how I blow off mine," you gently blew on it, the steam rolling over the side of the mug, and you giggled in delight.

Javi sat staring, motionless in awe. The look of a man desperately trying to figure out a most peculiar work of art. "Like I said, one of the oddest people." He shook his head back and forth, laughing while he did. "You really are one of the oddest people."

* * *

Hours passed by, and the two of you had kindled a comfortable momentum of conversation, flowing and ebbing effortlessly. _A friendship_ , the words hummed in your brain, _this is what the start of a friendship is like._ It really felt like that was the case. 

The mishap of the night before, a fading memory. In your fluid conversing, you realized that it wouldn’t be a continuous problem as he had said. If he needed a distraction like that again, he didn’t mind going elsewhere.

You were both still sat at the kitchen table, and most of the conversations were light, as if feeling each other out. Learning each other’s humor, and just where certain boundaries lay. However, after a while, you started to notice his faint attempts to look at his wristwatch. Subtle clues that he would soon need to leave.

“I should let you go soon.”

“I agree. I don’t do well in hostage situations.” The sass on this man.

“You’re hilarious,” you quipped. “I am curious though. We’ve been talking a while, but I have yet to ask, what brings you here? Not many people want to stay at this place. I mean I don’t know why not, the sound proofing is top notch.”

He chuckled at that, and sat for a moment, clearly deciding whether he wanted to share his reasons.

“I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want. I was just curious," you blurted out. Nervous that you had stepped over a boundary line.

“I had a pretty intense job for several years. I needed a change of scenery.” He spoke quickly, and with precision. Cold and calculated, as if it was a rehearsed response. 

“Yeah, I gathered that. Especially since you ‘needed to blow off steam’.” You brought up the previous discussion.

He nodded in agreement, paused for a moment, then seemed to decide to speak more freely. “I mainly moved here, because an old colleague of mine lives in the area. I don’t plan on being here for long, so the apartment suited just fine. Cheap, decent enough for now, and in a close range to where he lives.”

“Ah, I see. That makes sense.” More pieces of this puzzle of a man were falling into place. A small part of you worried, that with each new piece added, this new friendship would diminish. Something deep down, warned you. Enigmatic men typically liked to keep relationships on the surface, which would explain the hookers. He wanted to be seen, but not known.

He looked at his watch, taking a long glance, then looked back at you. Time was up, and you would soon be left alone to go about the rest of your day.

“I really should get going now, I do have to unpack a few things, and I actually have plans to see my friend later today.”

“That’s great, well… I’m glad you did make good on your word, and stopped by.”

“Yeah,” he was standing now, his eyes softening at your words. A small smile formed on his lips, and you couldn’t help but think of the odd rush of emotions that sight made you feel. “I’m glad I did too.”

After this you shook his hand, told him “don’t be a stranger,” he promised he wouldn’t, and you knew that he’d keep his word. It was the moment he left that you had a strange thought. A thought you’d never really felt before when someone left you alone. _It’s too quiet now._ For the first time, in a long time, you missed the noise.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back at it. I wanted to give the reader a name, as it would just flow nicely in this story, so I have named her Lily. However, I will still keep it as you, the reader's perspective. For those of you wondering, yes Javi's colleague is Steve Murphy, and this is after season 3, they're back in the states. Unfortunately I can't find exactly where Steve moved when he got back to the US after the events of season 2. If anyone has that info, that'd be great! Again this takes place in the mid to late 90s, so certain events in the story, like sexism in the workplace (which still happens) was much more prevalent in the 90s. I'm trying to keep things realistic to how it would have been during that decade. Thank you for sticking with it, for those that are still reading. When I say it'll be a slow burn, I mean it. I hope you like this chapter!

He never came back last night. Of course, you weren’t necessarily fretting over the fact. Unlike the previous night, you were able to get sweet, sweet rest. However, you still wondered why. You wondered about his colleague that he was visiting, as you prepared to head out to work. You wondered if he had to stay the night, and why, as you sat the through the usual mandatory morning meetings.

Your mind continued to wonder throughout the day, whether or not he had gone to a place to… blow off steam. Why these thoughts crossed through your mind on loop, was beyond you. You barely knew this man, and not even two days prior, you couldn’t stand the idea of him living next to you.

 _He was new_ , you reminded yourself. He was new, and you loved to try to figure out new people. An unhealthy habit, to be sure. He was a human being after all, not a project, you knew as much, but you still wondered.

Mary, one of your closest coworkers, recently turned staff manager, and casual friend, noticed your pensive trance. A highly perceptive individual, Mary was. She could typically sense when someone was under duress, or who in the office might have be withholding juicy gossip. 

These were reasons why she had moderately risen through the ranks, even though rumors spoke ill of her promotions. They always spread dissension whenever a woman was promoted above others. Shifts in power dynamics leaves vacuums for jealousy, but you knew the truth. Mary cared, and sometimes she cared too much, as she often tried prying into your personal life. Today was no different.

“Lily, is everything ok?” Mary spoke to you softly, trying not to raise her voice so others could hear. This had been an issue in the past, and you knew that Mary would always check up on you, it’s just who she was. You had discussed it with her privately, that you didn’t mind this, you rather enjoyed a good chat at work, unless you were having a bad day. On those days, you preferred subtle acknowledgements. Judging by her tone, she must have thought you were having a bad day.

“Hey Mary. I’m good, thanks for asking. I’m just… a little in my head today, that’s all.” You gave a half smile to her, a small attempt to reassure there was nothing truly bothering you.

She grabbed an empty chair next to your desk, and rolled it over to settle on it. “Please tell me the boss isn’t trying to hit on you again, is he?”

Another reason why rumors flew about Mary’s promotions. Your main office boss was often caught flirting with the staff, which mostly consisted of women your age. Rather than addressing the blatant sexism, the staff would fight amongst themselves, but Mary was different. She had gained respect somehow, which only proved to infuriate your colleagues more. When you had first arrived, you believed the same as everyone else. It wasn’t until you became more acquainted with her, that you realized the truth.

Mary despised their boss. When she was promoted, she acted as guard dog, if any harassment occurred. The HR department barely batted an eye, but Mary, she was the real deal, and you often stewed over what kind of leverage she could possibly have over him.

“No, no, things have been ok on that front, thanks to you,” you nodded at her. “It’s just home stuff.”

“Oh? Trouble in paradise?”

“Mary, you know I’m not married,” you laughed at her comment. “More like, new neighbor stuff.”

“Are they being noisy, or nosey?” Mary inquired, pushing to get to the bottom of your worries.

“No, not at the moment. I’m not really sure what to think of him.”

“Oh it’s a HIM!” Now she was invested. By the tone of her voice, and the gleam in her eyes, you knew exactly where she was going with this.

“No, Mary it’s not like that!”

“Really? Because you’ve been in a daze all day, and if you’re not upset by this male neighbor, then there’s something ELSE happening here,” her eyes scrunched in a scheming manner.

“But how though? He just moved in, I’ve only just met him.”

“It’s the mystery Lily. He’s new, and you like to solve things, so therefore, you want to solve him.”

“That sounds unpleasant,” you sputtered, scrunching up your face in disgust at the idea that she was confirming your previous thoughts. _So it’s that obvious, the type of person I am? Am I really this transparent?_

She laughed at that. “Maybe focus on the idea that this person might not want to be solved. Maybe they just want to be?”

You knew she was right about this. Besides you really had only just met. However, this was a common occurrence for you. You had a tendency to fixate on people, and things you enjoyed, even if you were recently introduced to it. The issue lied in learning how to dial it back. Perhaps you did need more confidants like Mary. People to help you process how not to analyze every little detail. 

“You’re right, I know you’re right. This whole thing is silly, and to be honest, I’m not quite sure I know what it is I’m even thinking about.” You didn’t really. The only thought you could remember was wondering why he didn’t come home. A thought you had no right, or stake in finding out the answer to. You were not a relative, or even a real friend, yet. Only a neighbor. You were only his brand new neighbor, and you preferred not to be a nosy one.

* * *

The rest of the day, you managed to focus solely on work, and the more you changed perspective, the easier it became. It was all about will power, and you knew, when it really mattered, you had it in spades. By the time you arrived at your apartment building, you had almost forgotten that he existed. Your head was empty, and your body was tired from the mental exhaustion.

Making your way into the building, you went to retrieve your mail in the main floor lobby. Another part of your daily routine checklist. 1. Come home from work. 2. Immediately check the mail. 3. Find that it’s mostly bills. 4. Go upstairs into your apartment. 5. Proceed to fall down on the couch in a sobbing, Disney princess style, mess. 6. Wallow in monthly bills despair. 7. Get up, make yourself some coffee, and zone out with a good book for several hours.

You had it all planned. You knew the routine, but when you entered the mail room lobby, your normal schedule was immediately replaced with: 1. Proceed to have heart palpitations as you stare awkwardly at the backside of a man you just met yesterday.

Javi stood by the landlord’s office door, his back to you, talking animatedly to the landlord. He was wearing, what seemed to be standard attire for him, a plain peach button down t-shirt, with tight fitting jeans that accentuated certain aspects you were completely okay with beholding. His hands sat on his hips, one leg taught, while the other bent just enough at the knee. A power stance if you ever saw one.

You weren’t quite sure what they were discussing, but it sounded like Javi was recounting a story from a time he lived outside of the States. You could overhear things like, “you know, not like how it is in the U.S.”, and “you should travel there some time”. _I wonder where there is?_ You were back to wondering again.

Neither of them had noticed you, not until you had made it to the mail box wall. The keys in your hand, jingled just enough to alert the two conversing men of your presence. There was a shift in tone, and a gruff “Hey Lily,” from your landlord. Followed by a softer, albeit raspy, “Hey Lily,” from Javi.

“Oh so you two have met already!” The landlord, Mr. Davis exclaimed. He was most likely comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have to do the honors of introducing the two of you, and that it seemed, for now, that you were on good, neighborly terms. This meant he wouldn’t have to step in any time soon to keep the peace, and he would still get paid.

You turned around to greet the pair. “Yes Mr. Davis. Javi and I officially met yesterday.” You glanced over to Javi, giving him a tiny, pathetic wave, that made you question all of the life choices that brought you to this moment. “Hi Javi,” you barely breathed out. He too, responded with a small wave, and a half smile, which managed to reach his eyes.

The brief moment of greeting, now over as Mr. Davis quickly resumed their original conversation with a, “that’s good, now where was I”, and you went back to fumbling with your keys to open the mailbox.

When you reached up to yours, you could see reflections through the small glass windows. One reflection in particular, caught your eye. It was that of Javi, listening intently to Mr. Davis, while simultaneously eyeing you from behind. You felt the stir again, somewhere deep down, as you casually observed his eyes travel down your back. He was vigorously chewing on nicotine gum, one eyebrow cocked with intrigue, and you desperately hoped he wouldn’t catch on to the fact that you could see.

The thoughts that began to swim through your mind, caused a blush to spread across your cheeks, and you had to avert your eyes from his. He wasn’t being very subtle, but then again, he had no idea there was reason to be. 

You attempted to return your attention to your mail, as you opened the latch, reached in, and grabbed the contents. Sifting through it, you found it was just as you expected. Bills. Always with the bills. Suffering in silent financial rage, you didn’t pay mind to the farewells being exchanged behind you. It wasn’t until you inhaled a familiar musky scent, that you looked up from the letters, to find the owner of said scent, standing near you.

“Hey, what’s up?” You managed to puzzle out. You weren’t expecting him to be so… there.

“Hey neighbor, how was work?”

Tension released in you. A tension you didn’t realize you had been holding in the moment you saw him in the lobby. You let it all out with a long sigh, and leaned your whole body, back into the wall as you turned to face him fully.

“That bad huh?”

You chuckled. “No, just I’m slowly realizing I don’t have everything as figured out, as I thought I did.”

He raised an eyebrow to that, questioning exactly where this was going.

“Sorry, it’s just… it’s been a weird few days for me.”

“I hope I didn’t have anything to do with that.”

 _If you only knew Javi, if you only knew._ “No, nothing with you,” you paused for a moment, then without overthinking it you added, “well, maybe a little bit.” His eyes snapped up to yours, with a quizzical expression, and you matched his with a wink. Javi’s eyes softened, forming wrinkles around them as he smiled with his whole face.

“Yeah, I guess I deserved that.”

“Oh you definitely did.” You both started moving by now, slowly making your way out of the lobby, to the stairs.

“Is there any way I could make it up to you then?”

“How so?”

“Are you hungry?”

Your hand tightened ever so slightly on the side handles going up the stairs. His rapid question sending a small shock through your system. You mused at the idea, but only for a moment.

“Yeah I could eat.”

“Great, are you free right now?” Again with the quick responses.

“Where did you have in mind?”

“Mi casa.”

“Oh, that sounds kind of fancy, is that local?” You weren’t really thinking about what he had actually said, only the way that it rolled off of his tongue when he spoke.

He let out a small chuckle as you both reached your floor. Walking to his apartment he replied, “Yeah I’d say it’s local. ‘Mi casa’ means ‘my home’ in Spanish,” and he pointed to his door.

The realization of what he said hit you, and you felt ridiculous as you closed your eyes and sighed at yourself in frustration. “Of course it does. I knew that, I just…. So you speak Spanish?”

“Un poco,” he replied holding his fingers up to indicate the sign of ‘a little bit’. He was smirking now, leaning against his door frame, hands in his pockets. Still chewing on what you could only imagine being, gum that was old and flavorless by now.

“Are you messing with me again, Javi?”

His smirk grew into a cheeky, Cheshire cat grin, as you waited for his response. “Un poco,” marking the exact moment you knew… this man would invade your thoughts from now on.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one took me a while to write, only because I've been a tad busy. Sorry for the delay. This is more fluff of Javi and reader enjoying a meal, and being general weirdos. I'm afraid of being too ooc with Javi, so if it doesn't feel genuine, or it's odd for his character, please tell me. I want to make this feel organic, and I enjoy writing the small, intimate conversations. Also he's becoming more comfortable with reader, using more colorful language around you XD. I hope you like this!

Javi’s apartment was, indeed, set up exactly like yours, only in reverse. In order to get to your room from the living room entrance area, you had to move your way to the left. With his home, everything was pushed to the right. It was more spacious too, but that was due to a distinct lack of furniture and decorations acquired over many years of collecting items of sentiment. _A bachelor pad,_ you mused.

The door shut loudly behind you after you entered, and you could hear the sound of sizzling food on frying pans in the kitchen. You initially hadn’t followed him into his place, as you still had to drop off stuff in your own apartment, and check the area to make sure everything was still in one piece. There was always the possibility of something catching fire while you were gone, or a person breaking in to steal things. Being an adult brought certain doubts and worries of your possessions while you were apart from them.

You figured that your time spent settling in, would also give him sufficient amount to do the same. That is, if he too had been away all day, but you weren’t exactly sure if he was currently working in the area, as he had just moved in. Add it to the list of endless things you had yet to discover about your new neighbor.

“Hey come on in, make yourself comfortable!” Javi shouted from the kitchen. The various smells that filled your senses, brought saliva to the forefront of your mouth. You were starving, the thought of food enticing you to venture forth.

A loud slurping noise, and then an even louder “Fuck!” echoed off the walls in the kitchen.

“You ok in there?”

The faucet turned on. Running water soothing, what you could only assume to be a burnt finger. “Yeah, just got careless while taste testing.”

“I get that. Food can be quite distracting. Need any help?”

Javi gave a deep chuckle. “No, the hard part is over. It’s almost ready, grab a seat.”

You rounded the corner when he said that, and were surprised to see a significant difference between his kitchen, and yours. Instead of the kitchen and dining area being mostly walled in, his had an open counter breakfast bar. You were slightly envious of this fact, open spaces was a preference of yours. The closed in kitchen area, and small dining table, left very little room to move around. It was claustrophobic, and you now wished that this apartment had been available when you first moved in.

“I thought you said that our apartments were the same? I’m starting to think that maybe you’re the favorite,” you crossed your arms and gave him a pouting glare. He turned around to glance up at you, gave a knowing wink, then turned back to continue his stance over a couple pots and pans adorning the stove.

“I have no idea what you mean.” You could hear the smirk in his voice, emphasizing every word.

You sighed at him as you sat down, there was no point at continuing the harassment. You were just lucky to be enjoying the space now. “So what are we having for dinner?”

Javi was wiping around the stove with a hand towel, then casually whipped it over his shoulder where it lay. He was taste testing again, and nodded making an agreeable noise, indicating that it was ready for consumption. “Sudado de Pollo.”

“Something with chicken?” You tried to guess, hoping you had guessed correctly. In college, you hadn’t paid too much attention in Spanish class. However, there were a few words that you slightly remembered. Clearly Javi could fluently speak Spanish, and maybe the little you knew, would come in handy eventually.

“You are correct. It’s a Colombian chicken stew we used to eat often when I was there.”

Now you knew where the place was that he was describing to Mr. Davis. “You lived in Colombia?”

“For a few years, yes.” He was avoiding your gaze, preparing your dishes in medium sized bowls. Glancing at it, you could tell that it mostly contained chicken, rice, and potato stew. It smelled divine, and you couldn’t wait to try it.

“Business or pleasure?” You weren’t trying to pry too much, but his short responses were beginning to make you nervous.

He paused for a moment. The ghost of a smile passing momentarily on his lips before he said, “Both.”

Clearly you would get nowhere if you asked too much on it. If he wanted to tell you, he would. After all, it was him who brought up the fact that he lived there. At least you knew he was a traveler, which means he probably didn’t lead a boring life.

He brought the bowls of food to you, and set them down next to each other, as the seats were side by side. Then he asked you what you wanted to drink, you suggested that water was fine. He procured water for the both of you, along with a bottle of beer for himself.

When he finally sat down next to you, you were salivating over the delicious looking stew before you, waiting in anticipation. He caught you drooling at it.

“You doing ok there?”

Slyly wiping the sides of your lips to make sure you weren’t actually drooling, you replied, “Yeah, just waiting on you is all.”

“Hey I didn’t say you had to wait for me to sit.”

“I know, I just felt it rude to start digging in without you, the host. The person who made this meal. The person who deserves to probably try it first before I do. You. That person.” Your nervous, hungry rambling was beginning to make its appearance at the table.

“Alright, alright. Fuck, you don’t have to over explain, I get it,” he nudged you in the side with his elbow, as he took a swig from his beer. He was loosening up now. The clunky awkwardness of having a new person in his territory, was wearing off. He side eyed you as he drank, the sides of his mouth turning upward as he did.

“You sure you don’t want me to keep explaining? I feel like you’re still unclear as to what I’m saying. Let me further elaborate,” you pretended to take in a deep breath.

“No, no. You’ve done enough. No more words from you, just eat. Shit,” he chuckled. The last 3 words he spoke, made you laugh as you thought of them together in a sentence. Javi looked at you with concern. “Something I said?”

You calmed yourself down enough to say, “You said ‘just eat. Shit.’”, and then proceeded to go back to laughter.

He held his eyes closed, and pinched the bridge of his nose in response, clearly overthinking why he even asked you to eat with him in the first place. Then he shot his hand out to grab your water. Lifted the glass to his nose, and sniffed. You stopped laughing, and gave him a puzzled expression.

“Just checking to make sure this is actually water,” he grinned.

Your eyes widened, and then formed into a glare. He really seemed to enjoy messing with you. Not that you minded much. The witty banter somehow reminded you that there were pieces of your life missing. Interaction with decent human beings, however often they may tease.

“You gave me the water yourself, so unless you added something to it without my knowing,” you shot him a disapproving look, “it should still be just water. I’m not Jesus.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ya know, Jesus. The story of him turning water into wine?”

“Oh wow, I wish they taught that more in Sunday school,” he took another swig.

His response made you laugh. “You would have paid more attention then?”

“You’re fuckin’ right I would have.”

“Somehow I feel like they would have kicked you out anyway with that kind of language,” you smirked and finally took a forkful of rice and chicken.

“Holy fuck, that’s delicious!” You blurted out as you chewed.

“What was that you were saying about language?”

“Hey, mine was warranted.”

“I mean, I know I’m a decent cook, but I didn’t think I was THAT amazing.”

“Well I don’t know much when it comes to Colombian meals, but I think what you did here, was pretty tasty.”

He held up a finger to you, indicating “one moment” while he tried this dish himself. Shoveling it in his mouth, you noticed a few pieces of rice cling to the edge of his moustache before he brushed them off. You quietly giggled to yourself, and averted your eyes towards the floor, then the ceiling. It felt like minutes had passed when he finally gave an approving nod and grunt.

“Hmm, not bad. A lot better than I expected it would come out.”

“Oh? Do you not cook this often?”

He rested his left hand on his thigh, while he dug in for more food with his right. After he ingested a bit more, he replied, “Normally I’m never home long enough to really cook. Always on the go. This is all kind of… new for me.”

You could tell he wasn’t lying. While this domestic side looked good on him, he didn’t seem the type to sit still long enough to make it stick. The signs of his apartment, showed a man who hadn’t had the time to really figure out who he was outside of work.

“Well, so far, you seem to be doing a bang up job… but I gotta ask,” you stalled.

“Yeah? Shoot.”

“If I had said no to dinner, would you still have made this?”

He paused for a moment, a little taken aback by the question. Reflecting on it, the corners of his stache shifted upwards with the gleam of a smirk. He shook his head, and chuckled out, “You got me there sweetheart. It probably would have been just another lonely peanut butter and jelly night for me.”

You smiled. Somehow knowing his answer would be similar to yours. “No judgment here. My usual is ramen.”

With that, the two of you continued eating and enjoying each other’s company. _It would have been just another lonely night_ , you reminisced on his words. _Just another lonely night indeed._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,  
> This chapter took me a bit, only because I was nervous about the pacing of their relationship. I didn't want it to be fast, as that's usually destructive to the overall development of characters in regards to each other, and I didn't want it to go too slow so as not to lose reader's interest. Hopefully this chapter gives a nice balance, and a new shift to their dynamic. I think from now on, things will start to pick up more naturally. I hope you like! Please comment and subscribe if you do :) I'd like to keep going with this, and definitely need motivation/support to do so! Thank you!

Dinner plates were picked clean of any lingering chicken bits. The night was still young, and the company left you with a comfort you hadn’t known in years. Now you were bonding over office woes, and past relationship turmoil, which in hindsight weren’t that different.

“Did he really say that to you!?”

“Hand to God, Javi, he really did tell me that I was defective because I didn’t have at least 5 babies by now. I mean the guy’s had about 3 divorces that I know of. The wives left him each time, which should be a testament to the type of man he is,” you finished speaking before you got up off of the stool seat, picked up your dishes, and walked them over to the sink.

Javi was staring you down as you moved around the kitchen with ease. When you turned to look at him, his left eyebrow raised, curious. “Call me old fashion, but as your most gracious host, shouldn’t I be the one cleaning up after you?” 

It took you a moment to realize how quickly you were making yourself comfortable in his space. Had it been an automatic reaction from you? You chalked it up to years of picking up after yourself, and the idea of relenting that control to another felt… strange.

“Huh… weird.”

“What’s weird?” Javi’s eyebrow raise intensified.

“I’ve never really thought much on that, until now.”

“Thought much on what?”

“How something so insignificant as tidying up your area, can really tell a lot about a person,” your face grew pensive as you looked at Javi. Of course, you were looking through him, more than at his actual face. Deep in thought, you were trying to piece the process together, while Javi grew more concerned at your facial expressions.

“Should I be worried at where this is going?”

“Oh, no, no you’re good,” you snapped out of it, and smiled at him. You were so used to stringing together odd thoughts alone in your apartment. _Dial it back, dial back the weird_ , you whispered in your head.

“Ok then, mind telling me what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I could, but whether I should or not, is still up for debate. You already think I’m odd enough.” He gave you a quick side eye to that, as if to say “please, I’m sure I’ve heard worse”, so you relented. “Fine,” you rolled your eyes at him. “Well, I was just reflecting on how cleaning up is second nature to me. I’m so used to being independent, so I mostly do things for myself. It got me thinking… if you can tell a lot about how a person might be, underneath it all… depending on how they clean up after themselves.”

Javi waited a beat to see if you had more to say on the matter before giving his input. “I know I’ve said before that I’ve met a lot of people… including ones who’d often pay others to clean up their messes. Of course, these messes were quite… extensive, but I think there’s truth to that.”

You were both quiet for a time, albeit for very different reasons. One’s that you were completely unaware of. You had no idea the things that Javi had spoken of. The messes that he’d witnessed, and what it cost those that had to fix them or make them pay for the damage done. 

You had politely taken Javi’s dishes to wash as well, with the agreement that he would dry them. Together, you worked as a well-oiled machine, washing and handing them off to him to dry and put away. It wasn’t too many dishes, besides the pots and pans used for cooking, and you were able to clean them up in record time.

It wasn’t until after you were done putting everything away, that the awkwardness of being in a new space settled back in. The main event of dinner was over, now what? Would he want you to leave? Would he ask you to stay to talk, or watch a film? Should you initiate any of these ideas?

“I’m glad you liked my cooking,” he quickly spoke, breaking you from your anxiety filled cycle of thought.

“Yeah, I really enjoyed it. You’ll have to send me the recipe sometime.”

“Will you make it for me as well?”

You blushed slightly at the thought, “Of course Javi, and thank you for having me over.”

“Any time,” he awkwardly patted the sides of his legs, looking around the room briefly, then back at you. “Thanks for helping out with the dishes.”

“Any time,” you smiled, repeating his response. From the cues, and conversation direction, you could tell that it was time to go back to your place. You slowly moved with him to the front door. When you reached it together, he moved to open it for you, and you promptly passed through to stop on the threshold.

You paused for a moment, then turned to him to say, “So, I keep forgetting that I rented this new film the other day, and have yet to return it. I understand if you’re busy tonight, but would you want to watch it tomorrow?”

He too paused at your invitation, flashing a brief smile as he held the door open with his arm propped on the side. His head lightly resting against it as he pensively looked at you. 

It was difficult for you at times to really stare at someone, out of fear of seeing something you might not like, or feel the overwhelming uncomfortable space between two worlds. When you actually took the time to view this man, you saw how he returned the favor.

Most of the night, you had both casually perceived each other, avoiding any attachment that could from it. Seeing how he looked at you now, you felt exposed. The kind of exposure that felt both terrifying, and exhilarating. You had no idea what he was thinking, or why he was taking so long to respond to, what you had thought, was a simple question.

He moved his head ever so slightly, rubbing his ear against his arm, then broke the silence that loomed in the air. “What movie?”

You breathed out the breath you had only just realized you were holding in this whole time. “Twister, I really enjoyed it.”

“So you’ve already watched it?”

“Yeah, is that a problem?”

“No, it’s just… you don’t want to find another movie to watch? One you haven’t seen?”

“I don’t mind re-watching, unless you’d rather a different movie.”

“It doesn’t matter to me, I never had much time for films…” his eyes drifted down to the floor, no longer piercing into your soul. Javi was musing over the idea before his eyes darted back up to yours, and he answered, “Tomorrow night it is. 7pm ok?”

“That works for me. Do you like popcorn?”

“Of course,” his face widened into a large grin. “See you tomorrow. Sleep well Lily,” as he wished you good night, he pried himself from the door, leaned in and gave you a light kiss on your temple.

Shock seeped in as you said, “Good night Javi,” completely ignoring the more intimate treatment you had received. He didn’t even seem to realize he had done it, so you decided to stay cool with the thought that maybe, it was an automatic reaction. 

The moment he shut the door, you held on to the hallway wall, while you brushed your fingers over your temple. You could still feel the heat of his lips, the softness pressing against your cool flesh, leaving you with a tingly sensation that moved to other places you could not handle right now. A blush spread across your face, and you needed to get back into your apartment to set your mind straight.

Javi was not the man you originally thought he would be. When you got back to your apartment to enjoy the rest of your evening, you felt an odd excitement. There was something new in your life, he was someone new.

Since you first moved here a few years back, you had been alone. You had moved out of state, away from your family and friends, to start a new life. To start over. Much of your past was a blur now. Not that it was terrible, it just wasn’t… good. 

Divorced parents, now remarried, with new families and responsibilities that left you feeling guilty if you asked for too much of their time. Siblings that also had lives of their own. So, you left, with the idea that, if they really needed you around, they knew where to find you. Attachments didn’t come easy, but when they did, it was even harder for you to let go. 

You had to be smart about this newcomer circling your life. _Don’t let him get too close_ , you tried telling yourself in the hopes that maybe this time, you’d listen. _You will be forgotten before long._ The self-deprecating thoughts began to swim through your mind. Thoughts you hadn’t entertained for a very long time. You swatted them away as if they were flies trying to land in your brain.

“No,” you told yourself out loud. “Even if this friendship never takes off, I can’t keep doing this to myself. I can’t keep shutting myself out from others.” Sometimes, the greatest enemy you have to face, is yourself.

* * *

A startled yell woke you up from your deep sleep. Your initial thought was that Javi lied, and still brought someone over to entertain while you were sleeping. That thought was immediately dashed when you didn’t hear another sound for a few minutes. Thinking that maybe you had imagined it, or perhaps made the noise yourself, you attempted to drift back to sleep.

“MpphfbNO.”

Your eyes snapped open again. Staring up at the blank ceiling, now on high alert. Javi was mumbling something in his sleep. You could hear faint sounds of ruffling, as he shifted in his bed. Inching yourself closer to the wall for more clarity, he began to speak out again.

“No mmbff… no she had nothing to do with this please nnnf,” he was talking in his sleep, the words coming out strangled and frantic the more he spoke.

You froze, unsure as to what you should do. _Is this normal behavior for him? He sounds like he’s in pain,_ you internally panicked. Wracking your brain to figure out exactly how you could help him behind a wall.

You glanced over to the door that separated your rooms, wondering if his side was unlocked, and for a moment you thought about chancing it to get to him. That moment was dashed away quickly when you snapped back to the reality of it being a huge breach of trust. Even if it was to wake him up, he wasn’t in immediate danger. Waking someone up from a nightmare did not constitute breaking and entering.

Instead you opted for knocking on the wall, you attempted to squeak out a call for him. “Javi? Javi, are you ok?”

No response. He was still tossing and turning, softly rattling the bed against the wall. “Javi wake up, I think you’re having a nightmare,” you raised your voice, belting it out more, hoping to cut through whatever trauma he was experiencing.

“Mmmph, huh… wha…” your second attempted proved to be effective.

“Javi, can you hear me?”

“L…Lily is, is that you?”

“Yeah Javi, it’s me. Are you awake?”

“Yeah, I think so. What happened, why were you calling for me?”

“You were having a nightmare… or at least it sounded like you were.”

There was a long pause, and you faintly heard him shifting in his bed, rubbing his hands over his face. “Well fuck. Did I wake you then?”

“Just a little,” you rasped out a giggle at his response, still groggy from the rocky awakening. “I’m more concerned for you though. Do you normally have night terrors?”

“Maybe… I don’t know… not that I’m aware of,” another long moment of silence. “Listen, I’m sorry for waking you. It seems I have a habit of keeping you up at night,” he chuckled, and you laughed with him.

“It’s ok, this wasn’t intentional….” you weren’t upset with him, but you wanted to help him somehow, if this were to happen again. “Is there anything I could do to keep you calm, in case this happens again?”

“No, this is…. My own personal hell. I’m not dragging you into it,” he stopped to think on what he should do next, before continuing. “I’m gonna go sleep on the couch, good night Lily.” The bed creaked as he lifted himself out of it.

“Wait! Javi, it’s ok, you don’t have to do that, I really want to help. I don’t mind, I…” it was too late. His footsteps echoed across the floor as he exited his room, into his living room, and all fell silent around you. He was gone, and the quiet was deafening.

You didn’t like the fact that he was clearly dealing with something, and that he wouldn’t share the burden. However, you understood. He had only just entered in your life a few days ago, barely enough time to know if a person could be trusted so easily. Yet, you wanted to. There was this undeniable urge you felt towards him, to get closer. To blur boundaries, and this was only made worse by a complete lack of a solid night’s rest.

Everything seems like a good idea when you’re overtired, and overworked. You decided to do as he said, go to sleep and maybe, just maybe the urge would go away by morning.

Even in your overly exhausted state, you knew, deep down, that that was a lie.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than previous chapters. I wanted to give a bit more depth to the reader/insert/oc character, as far as what they do, and what their passions might be to pursue. If any of you readers are editors or have worked in similar fields, I'm sorry! I'm sure I'm butchering what the profession actually entails, and I'm making it very broad/generalized instead of specific. I'm not planning on focusing too much time in the oc's career, as this is more about Javi/reader relationship. Also it's a tad difficult to find info/research job descriptions, and what they might have been like in the 90's. I ,myself, lived through the 90's, but I was more a child, and have no experience as to what it was like working during that time.  
> Long story short, this is a longer, more character driven chapter, and I hope you like it! Please feel free to comment/like/subscribe. I love any and all feedback, especially constructive criticism. Thank you! <3

“So? How is home life? Did you see your hunky new neighbor again?”

“I never said he was hunky!”

“You didn’t have to Lily!” Mary winked at you with a sly smile spreading like wildfire across her face. “Your face lights up if I ask about him. That kind of excitement screams attraction.”

It was another standard day at work, except for the new development of Mary hunting you down to discuss details about your neighbor of the male persuasion. You wondered how long her interest would last, feigning dissatisfaction of having to tell her anything at all. 

However, deep down, you were enjoying the attention. Being able to confide in another human being about a person you were slowly beginning to fixate on, was a thrill you hadn’t experienced in years. Most of the people you fixated on, were fictional, or unattainable. This time was different, but you had to be careful not to overshare. If he ever found out, it could prove fatal to your budding friendship.

“My face does NOT light up!” you were poorly trying to conceal the blush that began to take form across your cheeks.

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Mary retorted.

“I don’t have time for this Mary, I have work to do,” you swiveled your chair around to your desk, knowing full well that this tactic would not be effective enough.

“Oh pish posh, I manage this department and I know how much you actually have to do right now. You have time, your avoidance only makes me more intrigued,” she proclaimed, wiggling her eyebrows at you.

You sighed. It was hopeless. You had to talk to her about Javi, even though there wasn’t too much to discuss at the moment. “Fine. To answer your question, I did see my regular looking neighbor yesterday.”

Mary crossed her arms, leaning her body to one side as she stared you down dubiously. “Uh-huh, I’m sure he’s ‘regular looking’.”

“Ok, yes. I will admit, he is… attractive. He has a kind of… young Burt Reynolds look going on.”

“Oh, really?” She shifted her stance opening her arms, leaning forward to listen more closely. “Did you talk to him?”

“We had... dinner together… at his place.”

Mary’s eyes widened at this new information. “You… you had dinner… at his place? And you didn’t think this was something big to gush to me about!?” Clearly you had struck a nerve.

“It’s not that big of a…”

“You had a dinner date in his apartment, I’d say that’s a pretty big deal!” she cut you off.

“Okay, but that’s all it was. It was a friendly, peace offering meal.”

“So you’re telling me there won’t be any more special rendezvous, just the two of you?”

Your body jolted at the question, the memory of setting a movie date for the evening now coming back to you. Stifling a blush that would have given you away, you stammered, “N..no. I doubt we’ll be having dinner again, any time soon.”

Mary side-eyed you, suspicious of your response. “What about non-dinner meetings?”

You turned your seat away from her, no longer able to conceal the red splayed out over your cheeks.

“Mmhmm, that’s what I thought,” you heard the smirk form in her voice, and felt her triumph as she strutted away from your desk. _Maybe she was right_ , you thought, even though you had to play it off like there wasn’t something more brewing beneath the surface. You couldn’t allow yourself to go there. You wouldn’t allow your thoughts to spiral this time.

* * *

You didn’t see his vehicle when you arrived at the complex, nor did you see him in the hallway retrieving his mail. When you had left this morning to go to work, you hadn’t heard any signs of him waking up to go about his day, but he was gone now. Curiosity flooding you now, wondering what it was that he did for a living, and if you knew where he might be working now, or if he had a job yet. Not that it was really any of your business, it was more or less a desire to know what kind of experiences he had.

“I’m sure whatever he does, beats the hell out of my job,” you said to yourself as you plopped your bag down on the kitchen table. Not that you didn’t love what you did. It was the people, and the treatment that you could do without. You had gone to college, majoring in English in the hopes of landing a job in media production as an editor and/or writer. When you graduated, you were given the opportunity to work at a major News company, working as an entry level editor.

At the time, you were over the moon. The experience alone from this job, would open doors to more prominent jobs in publishing companies, and media production. The problem was, the job was tedious, and the majority of higher ups were male.

Most of your day revolved around meetings, and working in tight office spaces, pouring yourself over pages and pages of sloppy grammatical errors. You mostly worked in micro-editing, focusing on the finer details of articles, wondering if the majority of Americans would even notice. It was a thankless job, but it meant building up credibility. Mary managed a handful of editors, yourself included, by handing out assignments to proof-read, which she would in turn proof-read to limit the amount of errors that might slip through.

The main issue of your job, was that you couldn’t change or rewrite chunks of articles, especially when the narrative could prove harmful to particular groups of people. It was upsetting. You had to proof-read countless passages that made you cringe, or enraged you. The times you had spoken up, you were shut down. However, you had noticed a change when Mary was bumped up in your department. 

The more you thought about it, the more you realized how much you needed to thank Mary for being such a solid boss to work under. Even though the top dog of your editing staff was a prick, you knew you had Mary in your corner.

About an hour after you made it home, you could hear footsteps in the hallway, as they made their way to Javi’s apartment. You assumed it was him, his pacing quick and determined. Moments later you could hear him shuffling around his room, while you sat eating dinner in the kitchen.

Looking up at the clock, you noted the time.

-6:22 p.m.-

You wondered if he’d still be willing to watch a film with you, if not, you prepared yourself for a regular night alone. Either way, it wouldn’t affect your night. While you enjoyed his company, you also reveled in your freedom.

After finishing your meal, you went to the bathroom, then to your room to pick out a pair of breezy pajamas for the night. The summer sun still shone bright through the window panes, lighting up the walls in a warm glow that left you feeling strangely nostalgic. You loved that summer meant the sun was still up this late, but the heat… that was another story. _At least it’s cooled down quite a bit from the weekend_ , you mused. You were grateful that the weather had calmed down since then, especially with you being around Javi more. The idea of being reduced to a sweaty, irritable mess in his presence… the horror.

Brushing that thought away, you went to your dresser to pick out a pair of blue pajama shorts, and a tank top. They had cute cloud and moon designs on them, perfect for a dreamy, hopefully restful night. 

Your ears perked up to the sound of Javi shuffling back into his room. It was a couple minutes after 7pm, once again making you believe he had forgotten about the movie. Giving up on the idea that he would, you chose to change into your jammies. You had waited to do so, being too modest to be seen in them right off the bat, in case he did show up. Since your apartment was lacking in Javi’s presence, you were calling it quits.

As you were lifting your right leg to slide through the opening of the shorts, a loud knock reverberated off of the door separating your rooms. “Of fucking course,” you mumbled under your breath as you slid the shorts up to your waist. _I should have waited a bit longer_ , your mind scolded your impatience as you realized you’d have to answer in your pajamas. You could change, but you were too stubborn to switch back at this point.

Moving to your door, slightly confused as to why he was knocking here, and not at the front door, you began the process of undoing locks. A few seconds later, and the door swung open to your side, revealing Javi leaning cool-y, arm propped against the door frame. _This must be his signature door stance_ , you noted causing a small smirk to take form.

Looking up at his face, you saw a similar smirk displayed on it. He was eyeing you up and down, taking in your form silhouetted by cloud printed pajamas.

You wanted to wipe that smirk off of his full, tantalizing lips. “Can I help you?” sarcasm seeping through each syllable.

“Nice outfit, were you expecting a sleepover?” a grin followed his words, flashing his pearly whites. You could see the gum pressed between his teeth, indicating his continued struggle to quit smoking.

Your eyes turned to slits as you glared him down.

“Wow, tough crowd.”

You sighed at him. “If you must know, I WAS wearing normal clothes, but I figured you had forgotten, and I didn’t think it warranted me reminding you. So I changed into comfy pjs."

Javi’s face switched from amused, to remorse in realizing that you were waiting for him. “Sorry, I got held up at the office, when I came home I just needed to… unwind.”

“It’s ok Javi, I get it. Besides it’s just a movie, it wouldn’t have hurt my feelings if you forgot,” you brushed it off, ushering him inside your home. You were going to ask him about his work, but decided to save that conversation for another time, perhaps later tonight. “Though I have to ask, why did you come to the bedroom door?”

“It was easier, and I figured, our rooms are already lacking in other areas of privacy so…”

“True,” you agreed. When he mentioned privacy, there was shock of tension in the air. You had almost forgotten about the previous night’s events, and wondered if it bothered him, or if he’d ever bring it up. _Should I bring it up?_

“Hey Javi, last night…”

He stiffened.

“You know you didn’t have to go sleep on the couch right?” you tried reassuring him.

“It was just easier for the both of us that I did,” he remained tense, guard up, unsure of where you were going with the conversation.

Gathering that he wasn’t relaxed enough to venture into more serious areas, you digressed. “Ok well… we’re going to revisit this, but for now we can just… watch the movie.” You gestured to move out of your room, and head to the living room.

He swiftly obliged after taking in your space for a moment. Eyeing his movement, you studied his smooth swagger, the way his shoulders rocked languidly, side to side. It was mesmerizing, something so insignificant could hold your attention to this extent. However, it had been a long time since anyone had captivated your intrigue, making more sense as to why these inner desires began to flood your thoughts like tidal waves against an unprepared shore. Devastating.

Your attraction to him, was devastating, but your desire to maintain a friendship was stronger. If something were to come of this, then who knows. Otherwise, it was best to leave it to chance. You were not one to force relationships, or submit to them if forced upon you.

“You coming?” He shouted from the living room, snapping you out of your daydreams, back to reality.

“Ye…yeah! Sorry, I forgot I need to make popcorn, I’ll be right there!”

Twister was a more recent film that you thoroughly enjoyed, and watching it with Javi for the first time helped to boost that enthusiasm. He was letting down his guard, getting into the film, laughing, reveling in the fun natural disaster film. You had a habit of picking up movie quotes with ease, to which Javi would try to join in, or simply glance at you from the side with a smile in his eyes, watching the way you laughed. It felt… natural, and you couldn’t help but adore the way he opened up when he teased you.

As the movie concluded, Javi’s eyes were transfixed on the credits as he spoke, “I swear I know people like this.”

“Oh yeah? You keep mentioning that you’ve met all kinds of people. Do you work in something similar to this?”

He paused for a moment, eyebrows stitched into a frown. “Not like this no. I don’t work in fields of weather or natural disasters. Although I’ve seen some naturally disastrous people.”

“Oh. I’ve been meaning to ask you though… what is it you actually do? I mean… we’ve talked about people we’ve worked with in the past, but not so much about the work itself.”

“True, you haven’t really told me what you do either,” he retaliated.

“Hmm changing the subject back on me, I see,” you could see through his clever tactics. He shrugged in response, and motioned for you to answer. “I’m kind of a peon editor right now. It’s nothing fancy, but I’m slowly gaining experience to work in bigger media productions.”

He nodded, shaping his face into one that showed he was quite impressed. “Do you work for a magazine then?”

“I work for a News company, I don’t spin stories or anything, I just correct typos, and grammatical errors for a living. It’s tedious, but it’ll help my credibility if ever I do write. I mean, I like to write, I just… I thought about being a journalist or reporter, now I’m not so sure. I kind of want to do more creative writing, create new films or possibly shows. I think there’s really great opportunities and potential for shows,” you were rambling again. He was really good at getting you to talk about the things you enjoyed, but you had wanted to know more about him. _Bring it back to him,_ you inwardly psyched yourself to do this seemingly impossible task.

Shyly looking up at him through your eyelashes, you delicately batted them, feigning a more innocent and bashful approach. _Maybe if I dial up the sweet, he’ll oblige in answering me._ It was worth a shot. “Sorry, I didn’t meant to monopolize the conversation. I realize I tend to go on tangents, but… now that I’ve told you what I do… what do you do?”

He grinned, “I see how it’s gonna be.” Shifting his position on the couch, he moved to turn his body more in your direction. His leg folded up, left knee pointing at you, torso open and inviting. You had the sudden urge to trail your hand down his blue button down shirt. _Huh… our clothes are matching in color_ , the odd realization breaking through your thoughts. _Fight the urge. Fight it._

“Yes, that’s exactly how it’s going to be. I can be pretty persistent, mind you,” you flashed a smile that crinkled around your eyes.

“Alright alright. I see it’s gonna be fuckin’ difficult to say no to you,” he relented, rubbing the back of his neck as he gave in.

“You’re damn right.”

He sighed, his hand falling from his neck, to thud on his knee which lay close to your naked thigh. His fingers lightly brushed against your skin as it landed, shooting jolts of electricity up your spine. _I should have changed back into regular clothes_ , hormones raging in your head. You slightly scooched away from him, and when you looked up into his eyes, you could tell, he noticed.

He cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t want to go into it too much, but… I work for the DEA. When I talked about being in Colombia, I was there for years. It was work related.”

“Oh wow, the DEA? You had to chase down drug dealers in Colombia? Like narcos?... wait…” your face contorted. Lips and eyes forming a giant O shape as you realized the extent of what this could mean. Everything made sense now.

The intense measures to blow off steam. The night terrors, and talks of meeting people who paid others to clean up their messes. Living in Colombia for an extended period of time. Colombia. You remembered proof-reading articles about narcos in Colombia. The grueling manhunts that took place for the head honchos. Pablo Escobar, and the Cali Cartel. 

Then it dawned on you. Major DEA agent names that repeated often in the articles. American agents that had to uproot their lives for several years, all to catch narcos, in service of fighting the war on drugs. An Agent Peña and Agent Murphy. Agent Javier Peña… Javier. Javi.

You looked at this man sitting before you. Really looked at him, as if you were seeing him for the first time with wonder and sadness at what you could only imagine he’d witnessed. It all made perfect, terrifying sense. “Oh… Ooooh,” you let out a small gasp.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, forcefully rubbing his right hand down a now shaking right leg, and gripped his left knee with the other. He popped another piece of nicotine gum in his mouth, and began chewing at a rapid pace. “Yeah… Oh.”


End file.
